What happens with a possum in a Toowoomba roof?

Possums are protected in Queensland, so the job is finding and closing the entry points, plus lawful catch and release close by if one is still inside. Ask the pest business how they'll make sure the possum is out before the last gap is closed.

Is Toowoomba too cold for termites?

No. Business Queensland says the main subterranean termites that attack houses occur throughout Queensland. Ask a termite inspector how often your house should be checked, given its age, construction and garden.

Who deals with fire ants in Toowoomba?

The National Fire Ant Eradication Program, not the council. Report suspected fire ants to Biosecurity Queensland, online or by phone. Our form doesn't take fire ant jobs.

Pest control Toowoomba: mice, possums and fire ants

Think it's a fire ant nest? Report it before anything else

Toowoomba Regional Council warns that a fire ant sting is painful and can lead to a severe allergic reaction. Keep kids and pets off the patch, leave the nest alone, and report it to Biosecurity Queensland. If someone stung has a swollen tongue or throat, noisy breathing or collapses, call 000.

What's different up on the range

Higher, cooler, chilly winters

Toowoomba sits about 700 metres above sea level on the edge of the Great Dividing Range, and the Queensland Government describes its winters as chilly. CSIRO has noted that cooler weather sends mice looking for shelter inside Queensland homes.

Fire ants belong to the national program

In the Toowoomba region, fire ants are managed by the National Fire Ant Eradication Program, not the council. The council says they can fly up to 5 km and travel unnoticed in soil, hay, mulch, manure, turf and potted plants. Nests sit in open ground, as domes or flat patches of loose soil with no obvious holes.

Borer in old pine

Business Queensland says the common furniture beetle turns up in cooler upland parts of the state such as the Darling Downs, mostly in European pine that's been in service more than 20 years. Look for exit holes 1 to 2 mm across.

Mynas aren't declared

Toowoomba Regional Council says Indian mynas aren't declared pests under state law, so neither landholders nor councils have to control them. Birds nesting in the roof are still a proofing job if they bother you.

Scratching in the ceiling on a cold night

It's usually rats, mice or a possum, and the two get handled very differently. Rats and mice are a normal pest job, and Queensland Government advice for non-native pest animals is to call in pest control.

Possums are protected wildlife in Queensland. Catching one is only for someone licensed to do it, who must let it go within 25 metres of where it was caught, and the Queensland Government says a moved possum is often replaced by another nearby, so the job that lasts is repairing the way in. Our possums page explains proofing.

Termites still matter here

The subterranean termites that build enclosed mud galleries into houses occur throughout Queensland, Toowoomba included. The QBCC advises a termite inspection every year, or more often where termites are more active. Our Toowoomba termites page covers what the inspection and any treatment involve, and buyers can start with pre-purchase pest inspections.

Before winter, and who does the rest

You can

Seal gaps where pipes and cables enter the walls.
Keep pet food and bird seed in sealed tubs.
Trim branches that touch the roof or gutters.
Stack firewood off the ground and away from the house.
Check new soil, mulch or turf deliveries for anything that looks like a fire ant mound.

Leave to a pest business

Rodent control with bait in locked stations.
Possum proofing, and lawful catch and release on the property.
Termite inspections and treatment.
Working out whether holes in old timber are active borer.

If it were our house in Toowoomba

We'd seal the gaps before the first cold snap, and if something's already moving in the ceiling, tap what you're hearing and your postcode. Anything that looks like a fire ant mound goes to Biosecurity Queensland first, not to us.

Want someone to look at it?

Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.

What have you seen?